Deitchler is one of a number of athletes who chuckled, blushed, grinned and dished dirt when asked about the amorous atmosphere inside the athletes’ village.

“You’ve got a lot of young athletes who’ve got a lot of energy,” said one of Kid Dynamite’s team-mates, Brad Vering. “That’s just the way it is.”

The organising committees must be aware of the canoodling, as condoms are made available. In Sydney 2000, each athlete was given 51 condoms upon arrival. Another 20,000 were ordered when the supply dwindled.

Four years ago, US swimmer Brendan Hansen won gold, silver and bronze medals before turning his attention to other pursuits. As he said then, the women tend to flock when you’re half-naked and shaved.

At Beijing’s Water Cube the other day, swimmers and divers were going through their practice paces. There were more six packs on display than at one of those wholesale beer warehouses.

Quipped a wag, the athletes were “so hot it’s a surprise the water wasn’t bubbling”.

Some rudimentary polling of athletes suggested that swimmers, indeed, have the most active social lives. Besides the favourable body-mass index requirements, the Olympic schedule also works in their favour.

Swimming is one of the first events at the Games. When the last medal is awarded, it’s party time.

The athletes say this isn’t just hormones gone wild. Olympians subject themselves to years of intense training. Much is sacrificed. In a blink, it’s over. There’s an exhilaration, relief and sadness that only a fellow athlete can understand.

“You’ve spent so long training and focusing — you keep a lid on it,” said Andrew Schacht, an Aussie beach volleyball player. “Then, all of a sudden, the lid is off. People are human. They will act.”

Some Olympic romances become love affairs.

Take former US figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and hockey player Bret Hedican, who met at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France. They’re married with kids.

India’s tennis player Leander Paes is the product of an Olympic moment. His mother played basketball and his father field hockey at the 1972 Munich Games, which were marred by the murder of Israeli athletes.

During the hostage standoff, there was a lockdown at the athletes’ village. No newspapers. No TV. No radio. No leaving the room. Nothing to do. Well, almost nothing. “So I guess there was me,” Paes said.

US swimmer Amanda Beard has bright blue eyes, a swimmer’s physique and a Playboy magazine pictorial on her resume. Naturally, she’s received her share of gentlemen callers with a variety of passports at the village.

“Just the normal attention,” said Beard, whose attire in a new Peta ad consists of just goggles.

It remains to be seen what kind of attention awaits Deitchler, who wants the ladies at the athletes’ village to know that he’s all business until Aug 13, when the wrestling competition ends. After that, he’s free.